I've noticed a few issues with sections of the map that I'd like to point out....

During a reset, you are forced into the "Newb" zone and chances are you will have a star simply by play time of your last run. This makes it difficult to farm the resources needed to unlock the maps after said zones. This isn't a resource layout issue, more-so of a strange choice of punishing older players at restart... even if it is "a fresh start" and "an even playing field". It seems rather odd is all.

Another issue of course would be limited reagents/resources based on location which really only plays a part after the first section of the map to avoid the debuff. You "must" get clay to unlock the next section, thus you "must" go into said zone and receive a debuff. This delays the process of proceeding to the next section.

After that you have strange issues... such as reagents and resource locations which have poor event spawns.

NW corner for wood and N for pelt have considerably less events than the NE for Hemp. The NW corner is easily has the least events at any given time. As does the lower northern sections for reagents such as Gird, Stride, Will, and Soul of Tal which have very low chance of spawning in the ice areas.

Even then you run into issues with Pelt for your next area to unlock, which again is in the first zone.

All and all, it's easily fixed if "play time" did not effect the ranking system. Equipment and ranks of skills makes sense... unless you can make it so play time is based on the current "life" of the server. Thus, "fresh start" is indeed a fresh start. It was actually fairly annoying trying to unlock the next zones with a debuff and still having to kill newbs who attacked me (who I don't try to attack unless they attack me on sight or know the name from a previous gank attempt)

On the topic of the beginner zone, does it make sense to have settlements there when you quickly leave that area on account on becoming more powerful? It must be nearly the least effective usage of resources in the game, but it would be the first settlement that a new player might encounter and want to take over, unaware that as they get a bit stronger they will be weakened in that zone, and all the resource control points are further north so it is not a convenient location to begin with.

All and all, it's easily fixed if "play time" did not effect the ranking system. Equipment and ranks of skills makes sense... unless you can make it so play time is based on the current "life" of the server. Thus, "fresh start" is indeed a fresh start. It was actually fairly annoying trying to unlock the next zones with a debuff and still having to kill newbs who attacked me (who I don't try to attack unless they attack me on sight or know the name from a previous gank attempt)

Well, "knowledge" is pretty important in the game. Equipment and ranks of skills only give marginal benefits. Levels are easily caught up with the catch-up-mode, but knowledge does make you much more powerful. Resetting on a fresh start and getting rid of the play time part would impact heavily on the new-player experience. Perhaps it is a small price to pay for being relatively experienced to have that inconvenience in the first couple of days in the season? You know that you just have to flee north anyways and take the resource control point anyways, which is miles ahead of anything a new player would know to do. I remember clay being a little bit more inconvenient at the start of the season to get since it was in the beginner zone, but it wasn't an impediment at all in the scheme of things.

Lash wrote:On the topic of the beginner zone, does it make sense to have settlements there when you quickly leave that area on account on becoming more powerful? It must be nearly the least effective usage of resources in the game, but it would be the first settlement that a new player might encounter and want to take over, unaware that as they get a bit stronger they will be weakened in that zone, and all the resource control points are further north so it is not a convenient location to begin with.

All and all, it's easily fixed if "play time" did not effect the ranking system. Equipment and ranks of skills makes sense... unless you can make it so play time is based on the current "life" of the server. Thus, "fresh start" is indeed a fresh start. It was actually fairly annoying trying to unlock the next zones with a debuff and still having to kill newbs who attacked me (who I don't try to attack unless they attack me on sight or know the name from a previous gank attempt)

Well, "knowledge" is pretty important in the game. Equipment and ranks of skills only give marginal benefits. Levels are easily caught up with the catch-up-mode, but knowledge does make you much more powerful. Resetting on a fresh start and getting rid of the play time part would impact heavily on the new-player experience. Perhaps it is a small price to pay for being relatively experienced to have that inconvenience in the first couple of days in the season? You know that you just have to flee north anyways and take the resource control point anyways, which is miles ahead of anything a new player would know to do. I remember clay being a little bit more inconvenient at the start of the season to get since it was in the beginner zone, but it wasn't an impediment at all in the scheme of things.

Agreed knowledge is indeed important, yet this is because most knowledge isn't provided like it used to.

Tooltips, base armor/weapon stats, and the tutorial doesn't even cover the concept of "mines". It also doesn't cover "balance" on custom gear, which isn't hard to figure out but definitely an issue.

I don't mind the bronze star... but going to silver/gold instantly in +0 non-custom gear? That debuff is intense. Even with knowledge you will not counter a silver/gold debuff until you custom your gear to +3.

The sooner I get out of the new player zone, the less new players I have to kill with said knowledge.

+1 about start zone settlements, granted still confused why the way north aren't all +8... it makes people contest the areas sure. But just seems odd there's 2 +8 weapon yet only one +8 armor. (I think... I'd have to check again)